If you thought “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling only dealt with trolls in her books, you were wrong. The bestselling author first showed a knack for putting online trolls in their place with witty responses when she hilariously mocked Rupert Murdoch’s anti-Muslim tweets in January. Now she’s at it again, but this time it’s in response to some hateful tweets she’s received due to her public support for the U.K’s left-leaning Labour party.

Conservatives haven’t been too happy with her, especially after Rowling decided to donate a reported  £1 million to the “No” campaign, a group which campaigned for Scotland to stay in the the United Kingdom. So when Ed Miliband resigned recently as Labour Party leader following his loss to the conservative party at the 2015 general election, the haters came out in full force to trash Rowling and her political beliefs.

For showing unbelievable guts in the face of impossible odds, @JimForScotland, get in Gryffindor. #NotMuchBloodyComfort

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 8, 2015

According to the Independent, after the results were declared, some online trolls began calling her a “traitor to Scotland” and “Blairite scum.” Rowling apparently reached her breaking point after one person reportedly went as far as tweeting at her “Go f*** yourself you disgusting slimy Labour c***. All you lefties are finished in this country, especially you JK b****face.” That’s when she decided to begin writing back to some of her online haters, and her responses are downright hilarious.

.@sjosiah0 The Internet doesn’t just offer opportunities for misogynistic abuse, you know. Penis enlargers can also be bought discreetly.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 8, 2015

The best thing about her Twitter beefs were the constant Hogwarts houses references, because anytime you can get a few Slytherin jabs in there, it’s bound to be a good time.

@ChrisDarroch2 and you can’t spell “Slytherin”. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 8, 2015

.@ChrisDarroch2 Chris, if you’re this angry in victory, you must really need a hug. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 8, 2015

Luckily, not every person tweeting at the author had something negative to say. A few fans showed their support with some heartfelt tweets that are proof that humanity still exists.

.@JoHorrocks1 All abuse I’m getting is UKIP or Scottish Nationalist. All Tories here saying ‘freedom of speech.’ Credit where credit’s due.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 8, 2015

.@TalieDelemere Of course I do! If we forget our common humanity, we’ve lost something far more important than an election X

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 8, 2015

Let’s hope J.K. never stops standing up for what she believes in, and never backs down from a chance to silence her haters with a few clever remarks.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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While you were grinding away last week, you might have missed these three great articles. The #1 story of the week came from Anneliese Mahoney with her take on Fox News guest Steven Emerson’s totally fabricated “facts” about Muslim residents of Birmingham, England; Alexis Evans made her debut with the #2 article of the week–a smart takedown of rapper 2 Chainz debate with TV host Nancy Grace over marijuana policy; and the #3 article of the week came from Morgan McMurray’s coverage of anti-Muslim sentiment on Twitter. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 No Surprise: Fox News Just Makes Up Facts Now

We all know that Fox News interprets the second part of its name very loosely, but it hit a new low this weekend when it allowed guest Steven Emerson to blatantly make stuff up. Read the full article here.

#2 2 Chainz vs. Nancy Grace: Rapper Wins Debate Over Legalizing Pot

Is this real life? HLN viewers were gifted TV comedic gold the other night in the form of a marijuana debate between the always controversial Nancy Grace and “Fed Watching” rapper 2 Chainz. Grace, whose Wikipedia controversy section alone is cause enough for pause, brought 2 Chainz, who was arrested in 2013 for possessing a weed grinder, on her show to discuss the legalization of marijuana. Funnily enough, it was 2 Chainz who upstaged Grace with actual valid points while she rebutted by showing him irrelevant videos of parents forcing toddlers to smoke pot. Read the full article here.

#3 J.K. Rowling Has Perfect Response to Anti-Muslim Tweets

We are now nearly two weeks into the new year and have already had a heavy dose of tragedy. Unless you have been cut off from internet and television over the past few days, you’ve heard about the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Regardless of what your opinion is of that publication, the murder of those people was an act of terror and an infringement on their rights as humans and French citizens. Read the full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Hello again! It feels like it has been a year since I’ve written. (Get it? Because it is 2015 now? Lol?) But I am back now, and it’s time to get into the thick of it.

We are now nearly two weeks into the new year and have already had a heavy dose of tragedy. Unless you have been cut off from internet and television over the past few days, you’ve heard about the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Regardless of what your opinion is of that publication, the murder of those people was an act of terror and an infringement on their rights as humans and French citizens.

Whenever there is an act of extremism related to one system of belief, there are those who call out the entire group. I don’t know why this does not go without saying, but ONE BAD APPLE DOES NOT SPOIL THE WHOLE BUNCH.

While Al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups call themselves Muslim, not all Muslims belong to Al-Qaeda. Yet, people like news magnate Rupert Murdoch go off and blame the entire religion.

Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.

— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 10, 2015

Uhh….

Luckily, we have witty and intelligent people in the world like J.K. Rowling, who some of you may know as the author of a little series called Harry Potter, to put people like Murdoch in their place.

I was born Christian. If that makes Rupert Murdoch my responsibility, I’ll auto-excommunicate. http://t.co/Atw1wNk8UX

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 11, 2015

.@dom209 The Spanish Inquisition was my fault, as is all Christian fundamentalist violence. Oh, and Jim Bakker.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 11, 2015

 

It is always promising when voices of reason speak out, especially when those voices have four million Twitter followers. Rowling’s cutting sarcasm continued with responses to fans who joined in her satire, resulting in a truly entertaining and enlightening Twitter feed.

When horrible things happen, like the events in Paris on January 7, instead of playing the blame game, those with sizable influence–like Murdoch–should join in the fight for justice. Yet, too often, we see hate answered with hate.

We can be thankful that most of the world’s population, including many political leaders, have joined together and targeted the real source of the attacks: religious extremists. Infamous hacking organization Anonymous has even declared war on jihadists, laying out a plan of attack centered in cyber world. It is not the responsibility of practitioners of Islam to rid the world of Islamic extremists. We are all affected by their acts, and we can all help in the effort to “destroy their growing cancer.”

Morgan McMurray

Morgan McMurray is an editor and gender equality blogger based in Seattle, Washington. A 2013 graduate of Iowa State University, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English, Journalism, and International Studies. She spends her free time writing, reading, teaching dance classes, and binge-watching Netflix. Contact Morgan at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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